Music+Blaster+eGame

D. Suzuki EDTEC 670 || ||
 * || =Music Blaster eGame Project=

Overview
Sometime in the near future, the aliens who we first encountered in //Close Encounters of the Third Kind//, return to Earth although not as friendly as we remember. Unfortunately for us, the diabolical aliens that looked so cute and innocent have now come back to invade the planet and subject all of us to boring and unbearable music!! Earth's only defense now rests in your capable, musical hands!

Using your keyboard and mouse, you will pilot your Music Blaster and destroy the different rhythmic and melodic sonic disruptor attacks sent by those dastardly aliens by countering them with the exact same pattern - thereby nullifying their attack! Make sure you're accurate and quick, otherwise their sonic assault will overpower our earplug shields and they will enslave the planet Earth forever!

Good Luck Aural Warrior!

Instructional Objective
The Music Blaster game is designed for music students who have at least one year of formal training. The student will be using the computer keyboard, mouse and optionally a MIDI keyboard to enter various rhythmic and pitch phrases to play and survive the game. The game will be reinforcing lessons about music theory and aural training. By playing the game, students will be practicing reading, listening and performing different musical patterns.

This game would be primarily for students who will be enrolled in a music program so it would most likely be for school use. The game would help reinforce the following California music standards:
 * Artistic Perception
 * 1.2 Read and perform various rhythmic and melodic notation using standard music notation
 * 1.4 Sight read simple melodies

Learners
The Music Blaster game will be able to be played by a variety of music students at different stages of development. The skill level for the game will be changeable so that even advanced students will be able to find Music Blaster challenging (see DESIGN DETAILS). The only prerequisite for students to play level one is that they would need to be able to read simple notation (quarter note and duple eighth note rhythms) and be able to beat those rhythms using the computer keyboard to a beat.

Context of Use
The game could be used in a variety of locations. Hopefully the Music Blaster game will be web-based (maybe Flash) so that students would be able to use the program at home as well as in the classroom. If Music Blaster were played in a classroom, the teacher would need to make sure that all students have access to the internet and headphones.

The game is designed to be played multiple times and the variety of difficulty levels built into the game will add replay value for the students. Prior to playing the game, the teacher would probably like to go through a demonstration of the game or run the auto-demo that will be built into the program. The demo will show how to use the input devices to control gameplay and outline the game objectives including the game scenario. Once the game has been played the player would receive a score based upon the amount of attacks defended and time elapsed per level. Also, if the student is able to reach a respectable level of gameplay, they will be treated to an ending animated sequence.

Each single game would include 7 levels. Each single level will be take approximately two minutes to complete. Total gameplay time would be approximately 20-25 minutes long for a complete game.

Scope
The game would include 7 levels with 3 different game type screens - //Missile Command//-type, //Space Invader//-type and //Phoenix// mothership-type (see DESIGN DETAILS). The game difficulty would increase with each level passed by increasing the speed (tempo) of the beat and the complexity of the musical examples. Also before the game begins, the player would need to set the parameters of the game:

Parameter 1:
 * Rhythms only
 * Difficulty 1 (quarter/eighths)
 * Difficulty 2 (level 1 + dotted quarters/eighths)
 * Difficulty 3 (level 1,2 + sixteenth)
 * Rhythms and Melody
 * Difficulty 1 (three-tone melodies )
 * Difficulty 2 (four-tone melodies)
 * Difficulty 4 (four-tones melodies)

Parameter 2:
 * With notation visible
 * No notation visible

Parameter 3: (if played locally - not web-based)
 * With MIDI keyboard
 * No MIDI keyboard

Object of the Game
The object of the game is to reach the last level, beat the game, save the world and have the highest score while doing it! The computer will keep track of the top ten scores to record the best players in Music Blaster!

Competing Products
There are a few music games that are currently out which are similar to Music Blaster but none are based in music theory notation. The Rock Band and Guitar Hero games are considered music games, however they are based mostly on eye-hand-ear coordination and require little formal musical training to play (which also makes them popular!).

There is also a music education game called Music Space Invaders that is designed mostly to teach and reinforce piano playing skills. The player is set up with a screen that has a staff on the top half and a piano keyboard at the bottom. When the game is started a musical note moves quickly across the screen (left to right) and the player needs to use the mouse to "play" the right key on the virtual piano keyboard before the note reaches the other end of the screen. I think a better name for the game may have been Music Skeet Shooting.

Music Blasters is a little bit of a blend between the strictly arcade games (Rock Band & Guitar Hero) and the strictly educational game - Music Space Invaders. Music Blasters will have the animations of a video game (aliens with music notation inside them, moving down the screen) while keeping the music education aspect intact. The visuals and comedic interludes should entice the players while the gameplay will help to reinforce standards-based musical skills.

Design Details
__**Overall Game Elements:**__ Throughout the game the player will be using the following input devices:
 * **Mouse**:
 * Selecting/choosing game preferences
 * Used for targeting - a cursor in the shape of a bullseye
 * Can also be used to tap in the correct rhythmic response
 * **QWERTY keyboard**:
 * Used for entering text
 * Alpha keys corresponding to musical note names will be used to enter melodic response (notes)
 * Space Bar can be used to tap in the correct rhythmic response
 * **MIDI keyboard (optional)**:
 * Used for entering melodic response
 * Using middle "C", the player can tap in the correct rhythmic response

The game screen environment will feature:
 * Top left corner: the player's score
 * Top middle: the chapter that the player is on (1, 2 or 3)
 * Top right corner: the level of the chapter (1, 2 or 3)
 * Bottom left corner: player's SHIELD METER energy bar (full (green), midway (yellow), least (red)
 * Bottom middle to right: shows the current musical response prompt that is being targeted

The animation for the game would be reminiscent of the video games that the chapters are based on: Missle Command, Space Invaders and Phoenix. Throughout the game there will be a steady beat that will sound like the music from Space Invaders. The players need to use this beat to correctly enter the rhythms and pitches in time, in order for the counter-attack to work. Each new level attained would increase the amount of enemy attacks and speed/tempo of the attacks. Also, as each level is coming to a close, the speed/tempo of the attacks will slightly increase (similar to the last frantic few invaders in Space Invaders).

After every set of three levels, a chapter will end. At the end of every chapter there will be a splash screen featuring a message from an alien invader mentioning how well the player is doing and taunting them to go further.

If a player manages to reach the end of the game, there will be a still-scene that shows the alien invaders leaving Earth and vowing to seek revenge!

If a player is runs out of their shield energy, the player will lose and there will be a splash screen where the alien invader taunts the player and dares him/her to try again.

Scoring Chart Each object in the game has a point value and if a player successfully passes through a level they are awarded a level bonus as listed on the chart. When the player starts on a new chapter the level is reset back to one with the exception of the chapter 3, where the player automatically starts on level 3.
 * < Comet-missile ||< 200 pts each ||
 * < Alien armada ship ||< 500 pts each ||
 * < Alien Mothership blocks ||< 350 pts each ||
 * < Level 1 bonus ||< 2,000 pts ||
 * < Level 2 bonus ||< 3,000 pts ||
 * Level 3 bonus || 5,000 pts ||
 * Capturing Alien Leader || 10,000 pts ||

__**Chapter Details**__: The game would be split into three separate chapters:
 * 1) ON EARTH - Missle Stage (Missle Command-type)
 * 2) IN SPACE - Space Attack Stage (Space Invader-type)
 * 3) TAKING THE FIGHT TO THEM! - Mothership Stage (Phoenix-type)

In this stage, the player will be attacked by a series of comet-missiles, falling from the top of the game screen. The player is charged with protecting structures on the Earth using anti-missile lasers from the cannon located in the middle of the screen.
 * Missle Stage**

The only way that the player's missile can lock-on to an incoming attack is by targeting the comet and completing the musical excerpt that appears at the bottom of the screen. The player can complete the process by either tapping in the **correct rhythm** shown by using the SPACE BAR/MOUSE, or **by correctly playing the musical notes** using the QWERTY keyboard (or optional MIDI keyboard) to type in the names of the notes.

The player must make sure to key in their response with the tempo of the background beat, otherwise the counter-attack will fail. If the attempt is successful then a laser will shoot from the player's cannon, destroying the incoming attack. If unsuccessful, there will be three "X"s displayed across the musical excerpt and a buzzer sound will let the player know they did not complete the task correctly. Gameplay will then resume and the comet-missile will continue to fall toward the Earth.

If the comet-missiles are successful in hitting the plasma shield above the Earth, the Shield Meter will change color from green to yellow, then to red. Each color takes two hits before changing to the next color. If the player's shield is hit twice by an attack when his/her shield is critical (red) the game is over. There is no way to replenish the shield until the level has been passed successfully.

The first level will feature 15 incoming missiles, 20 for the second level and 25 for the third level. As the player progresses, the speed increases during the level and in subsequent levels. After the player finishes Chapter 1 the player has a cut-screen and is moved onto the next stage - IN SPACE.

In the Space Attack Stage, the player is now in control of a star-fighter en route to seek and destroy the alien mothership. However, before they can do that, the player must battle the alien armada.
 * Space Attack Stage**

The gameplay is similar to the previous stage. The player still controls the target with the mouse however, like the last stage, the player has no control over their own ship's movement. Each enemy ship can withstand two blasts from the player's cannon, so the player must hit the same ship twice (play two musical excerpts) before it is destroyed. The enemy ship will turn red when hit once and will explode with the second hit.

The enemy ships constantly move in a vertical motion on the screen (up and down) but they are not able to move horizontally or collide with the player's ship. The enemy ships fire small, round fireballs that are less powerful than the previous comet-missiles so the player can withstand four hits before their SHIELD METER changes color. However, because they are less powerful they move quicker and are more plentiful.

The first level will feature 9 ships, 12 for the second level and 15 for the third level. Again, as the player progresses, the speed increases during the level and in subsequent levels. After the player finishes Chapter 2 the player has a cut-screen and is moved onto the next stage - TAKING THE FIGHT TO THEM!

In this final stage, the player will be trying to destroy the alien's mothership. Unlike the previous stages the player will begin Chapter 3 on the third level. The enemy is protected by the underbelly of its ship. The player will target the blocks that make up the ship and only after **all** of the blocks have been destroyed can the alien be captured!
 * Mothership Stage**

The alien mothership will be constantly moving horizontally across the screen and slowly advances downward to crush the player's ship. Additionally, the mothership fires the same type of fireball that the enemy armada fired in the previous stage. Again, the player can withstand four hits before their SHIELD METER changes color. However, if the mothership is able to reach and contact the player's ship, regardless of the SHIELD METER color, the player's ship will be destroyed.

As with the other stages, the player is only able to maneuver the target and not their ship. Each enemy block can withstand only one hit from the player's ship meaning that there are 28 block targets or musical excerpts. Once the block is targeted, the music example appears at the bottom of the screen and the same rules apply from the previous stages.

If the player successfully destroys the underbelly of the mothership, the alien leader will fall and be towed away by the player's ship that will then exit at the bottom left of the screen. After the player finishes the level there will be a final cut-screen that depicts the fate of the alien leader and the promise of sweet alien revenge.


 * Cut-screen between Chapters 1 & 2**




 * High Scores Screen**


 * Introduction Screen 1**


 * Introduction Screen 2**


 * Preferences Screen**


 * You Lose**

The software that I used to create the arcade game screens was Multimedia Fusion 2, developed by Clickteam. The platform that the development software runs on is PC, however it would be great to develop this game for Mac or adapt it for a web-based experience (Shockwave or Flash?). All active object files were provided by the Multimedia Fusion software and the images that I imported (music notes) are stored externally as .jpeg files. The music files would be uploaded as .mp3 files and also stored externally from the program. There would be no game save or continue for this game.
 * Technical Elements**

The only missing piece of the design is the implementation of the musical/rhythmic input to trigger the ship's firing sequence. Although I don't believe that Multimedia Fusion 2 would be able to solve this, perhaps a collaboration with David Bagno, the creator of Music Space Invaders could provide the necessary information. The missing code issues/needs:
 * After targeting the enemy attacker, a mouse click would bring up the musical excerpt
 * After correctly entering the musical excerpt with the keyboard or MIDI keyboard the ship will fire at the targeted attacker
 * After incorrectly entering the musical excerpt there would be a buzzer and gameplay would resume

Motivational Issues
Beyond the fact that most of the students would like to play games instead of do other classwork, there are some other motivational issues present. For music students, hopefully some of the motivation would come from the need to improve their rhythm and notation reading skills. Also, by having to tap in their answers to the alien's beat, it should help them practice keeping musical time.

As stated in Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types, found in //The Art of Game Design//, there are four player types: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers and Killers. The Music Blaster game has some general appeal for at least three of these categories.

Achievers: want to achieve the goals of the game. Primary pleasure is challenge. These players may be motivated to play the game due to the challenge of beating the obstacles in the game. The challenge of inputting the response in time with the tempo as well as the increasing difficulty throughout the level and chapters.

Explorers: want to get to know the breadth of the game. Primary pleasure is discovery. These players may enjoy the variety of levels and the cut-screen scenes. Only by progressing through the different stages of the game can the player can "discover" all of the aspects of the game. Also, the player needs to get to the end to find out what happens to Earth and the aliens.

Killers: interested in competing with and defeating others. Players that find pleasure and motivation in this category may enjoy destroying the enemy ships and by challenging other players with completing stages or scores.

Some possible problems with motivation could be:
 * The method of response (lag time)
 * Depending on the platform the game is played on, since the response needs to be played in musical time, there has to be a very insignificant amount of lag or delay between hearing the beat and player input. If there is any delay from the hardware, the player could get frustrated with the game as they can't successfully enter the response.
 * Repetition
 * Once the game has been beaten a few times, the replay value does decrease. Although it would be possible to change the difficulty of the game in the PARAMETERS section, students can still find the challenge wane after playing the game.
 * While the scenes change with the different chapters, the gameplay stays relatively the same. It might be interesting to design an option that would change the difficulty level as chapters change rather than one setting at the beginning of the game to add more variety.

Design Process
When I began the process of thinking about an eGame it was basically because I didn't have anyone to partner with. However, as I got used to the idea that I was going to do this alone, I thought that it might provide some advantages as I can make music as the focal point of the game. As I thought back to some of the games from the past that we had talked about in class discussions, I remembered the Type Attack game that I played back in elementary school. When I saw the model for Adverb Blaster, I thought that it might be interesting to have a similar game that tested musical concepts.

There aren't many musical elements that can be reinforced by a Space Invader-type game however the preciseness of rhythm and note identification were two concepts that seemed to fit the game scheme. Drawing on my past experience with Type Attack and some of the video games that I played growing up, I decided to not only use Space Invaders, but Missile Command and Phoenix as models. Each of the games had a similar task for the player: stop an attacking force. By using these games as a vehicle to test and reinforce musical concepts, I hoped that it would be appealing for music students to use as a fun and engaging tool.

As I researched the internet for similar games there was only one example that came close and it was not really in the realm of "arcade" games. The concept was very good but the visual effects were of a staff and piano keyboard and while very practical it wasn't very appealing. If I could blend that type of concept with the feel of an arcade game, I thought it might be possible to recreate that Type Attack experience using musical concepts.

After talking to my colleagues in the music department at my school, they thought that it sounded like an interesting and fun game. Using some of their input, as well as some of the comments I received during class, I was able to come up with most of the game design.

I think that the biggest challenge for me was getting to design the screenshots for the game itself. Luckily, I was able to download a trial version of //Multimedia Fusion 2//, and use that program to design the shell of the game. I actually learned a lot from using that software and it was very fun designing a game that could actually be played on the computer! The only problem however, is that while the arcade portion of the game engine could work, the use of the musical examples as the firing mechanism would still need to be created. I think it would be interesting to see if the creator of Music Space Invaders, David Bagno, would be interested in using some of his skills and programming knowledge to see if we could get the Music Blasters game working.